PAHOKEE – There was no debate whatsoever on who our Defensive Player of the Year would be.
It was for Frankie Burgess and him only. And it’s relatively easy to see why.
In his first year of playing organized varsity football for the Pahokee Blue Devils, Burgess racked up an astonishing 25 sacks in 12 games played. At one point this season, he was leading the state in that vaunted category.
Burgess, who was our MVP of Week 13, also had 60 tackles (25 TFL), three forced fumbles, and at least one defensive touchdown this past season. The senior defensive end had several outstanding games, but his best one was arguably in the 1A-Region 4 semifinals against Hawthorne, when he recorded at least four tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for the game-sealing touchdown in Pahokee’s 28-14 playoff win.
All of this – and so much more – is why Burgess was a slam-dunk choice for our Defensive Player of the Year.
“He deserves it,” Pahokee senior defensive end/linebacker/team leader Latarie Kinsler Jr. said of Burgess, who beat out runner-up Ashton Gillotte (Boca Raton 2021 defensive end) and three other nominees for this honor.
There was another breakout moment from Burgess, which came in Week 9 of the regular season.
Going into Pahokee’s homecoming game against Seminole Ridge, his team was practically deemed irrelevant with a 1-5 record and out of playoff contention. But after the smoke cleared with Burgess tallying a personal-best five sacks in a 20-7 win, it was clear that he and his team should no longer be ignored.
And two weeks after the 13-point win over Seminole Ridge, Burgess had yet another breakthrough performance, albeit on a much bigger stage in the Muck Bowl at Glades Central. The top three overall player in Palm Beach County recorded three sacks to help the Blue Devils score an epic 21-17 comeback win over the Raiders to cap off Week 11.
“He was dominant,” Pahokee assistant coach Latwan Banks said. “But could you imagine if we had Latarie for a whole year? He (Frankie) would’ve easily had 30 sacks.”
Banks is referring to an injury that Kinsler suffered prior to Week 1 of the regular season, which kept the Syracuse-bound superstar out of action until his triumphant return in the Muck Bowl.
Kinsler was certainly a difference maker for Burgess in more ways than one. Kinsler’s presence around the program, whether he’s on the field or not, inspired Burgess to have his all-out breakthrough season.
Pahokee junior athlete Geoffrey McKelton could certainly attest to that and more.
“This was his first year playing high school football and he’s already made a name for himself,” McKelton said. “Just imagine if he was playing all four years with us.”
Yes folks, imagine that.
